Howard Priestley was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1956. He has always had an equal interest in African-American culture and comic books.  At the same time as he began his formal Art studies at Stourbridge in the West Midlands he became a regular contributor to the British Comics Fan scene and on completing his Fine Art Degree, where he wrote his thesis on Holland Dozier Holland, he returned home and published a 3 issue series, Shock Therapy. The work from this period was credited in the book, Nasty Tales – A History Of The British Underground Comic Scene, 2000. He has designed CD cover art for Bootsy Collins, George Clinton and Jerome Brailey as well as writing histories for several CD compilations.  He helped to develop community radio in Calderdale, Phoenix FM and hosts The Soul City Show which has included interviews with Eddie Holland, Marvin Junior of The Dells, Melvin Davis and Richard Street of The Temptations.  As a writer he has contributed to magazines such as Blues & Soul, Soul Express and MOJO magazine as well as writing a regular column on Funk for the fanzine Soul Up North.